Summer Hwy 120 delays expected

A multi-year road retrofit project on Highway 120, centered around a bridge east of Buck Meadows, will mean traffic delays heading into Yosemite National Park through the summer season, according to Caltrans.

Work is set to begin Wednesday between the Big Oak Sidehill Viaduct bridge and the South Fork Tuolumne River bridge past Yosemite Lakes Road, according to Caltrans. The project, near the Lost Claim Campground, touches on both Tuolumne and Mariposa counties and is supposed to last through 2016. During construction, one lane of the two-lane route will be closed, although traffic will be able to get through.

The project involves road repairs and replacing the bridge decks to strengthen the bridge and is expected to cost $3.4 million. The route is a popular stretch of road in Tuolumne County as the northern entrance to Yosemite National Park.

According to Caltrans estimates, as many as 9,000 vehicles a day pass through that stretch of Highway 120 during peak summer months. According to the Caltrans data, with up to 1,050 an hour during peak hours.